2.23. Atomic Structure: Law of conservation of mass

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To understand atomic structure, it is essential to start with the Law of Conservation of Mass, which is a fundamental concept in chemistry and a crucial topic for the ENEM exam. This chapter of our Enem Chemistry course e-book will provide a detailed and complete overview on the subject.

The Law of Conservation of Mass, also known as Lavoisier's Law, states that the total mass of a closed system remains constant, regardless of the processes taking place within it. In other words, matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. This law is fundamental to understanding the concepts of chemical reactions and chemical equations.

Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was the first to formulate this law in the late 18th century. He performed a series of painstaking experiments, in which he carefully measured the mass of the reactants and products in various chemical reactions, and discovered that the total mass remained constant.

For example, if you burn a piece of wood, the wood (the reactant) turns into ash, carbon dioxide, and water (the products). If you add the masses of carbon dioxide, water, and ash, the total equals the original mass of the wood. This is the Law of Conservation of Mass in action.

This law is important for understanding atomic structure because it helps us understand how atoms rearrange themselves in a chemical reaction. Each atom has a specific mass, and the sum of the masses of the atoms in the reactants is equal to the sum of the masses of the atoms in the products. Thus, the Law of Conservation of Mass tells us that atoms are neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction, they just rearrange.

For example, in the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to form water, two atoms of hydrogen (H) react with one atom of oxygen (O) to form a molecule of water (H2O). The total mass of the hydrogen and oxygen atoms before the reaction is equal to the mass of the water molecule after the reaction. Thus, the Law of Conservation of Mass is satisfied.

Understanding the Law of Conservation of Mass is the key to understanding atomic structure and how atoms interact in chemical reactions. This concept is fundamental to chemistry and will be an important part of your preparation for the ENEM test.

In summary, the Law of Conservation of Mass is a fundamental concept in chemistry that states that the total mass of a closed system (such as a chemical reaction) remains constant, regardless of the processes taking place within it. This law is crucial to understanding atomic structure and chemical reactions, and is an important topic for the ENEM exam.

We hope that this chapter has given you a clear and complete understanding of the Law of Conservation of Mass and its importance to chemistry and the exam. In the next chapter, we'll explore atomic structure further, including the concepts of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and how they relate to the Law of Conservation of Mass.

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262.24. Atomic Structure: Law of Conservation of Charge